"What? It costs money?"
The veins bulging on Seth McField's face formed a sharp contrast with the sweet smile of the beautiful female staff member; he suspected he had misheard.
"Didn't they say that anyone over the age of 16 could receive a login connection stone for 'Omnirealm' for free with their ID card?"
Omnirealm!
An era-defining cultivation game filled with myths and miracles, achieving shared access for all civilized biological beings in the universe.
Who was behind the creation of this game, and how long had it existed?
It remained a mystery among all civilizations in the universe; no one knew.
In this game, you could obtain everything beyond your imagination.
Some advanced civilizations speculated that Omnirealm was not a game at all, but rather another ancient plane of existence.
"Sir, I am truly sorry!"
"The Galactic Civilization Alliance only allocated 1 billion free Omnirealm connection stones to our planet Ashford Prime for the first batch, and they were all distributed last night."
"Currently, we only have limited-edition paid Arcane Grade connection stones. One costs 200,000 Universal Credits. Would you like to buy one?"
The female staff member explained while maintaining her smile.
Ashford Prime was an ordinary Level 1 civilization within the Galactic Civilization Alliance, unremarkable with a population of over 20 billion.
One billion free connection stones were indeed a drop in the bucket.
200,000 Universal Credits!
Seth McField was a young man with no relatives or friends, who had just fired his bastard boss yesterday; his pockets were cleaner than his face.
Forget 200,000 Universal Credits, he couldn't even produce 10.
"Miss, are there really no free ones left?"
Seth refused to give up and asked again.
He had lost his job, and the money on him was only enough for tonight's dinner. If he couldn't get a connection stone for Omnirealm...
Seth felt like he'd rather be dead.
The beautiful staff member said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir, there really are none left."
"However, you can fill out a form to pre-order the next batch of connection stones with priority."
"The Galactic Civilization Alliance will deliver the second batch of free Common Grade connection stones at the beginning of next month."
"Uh... alright..."
Seth sighed helplessly.
Omnirealm would open a dedicated new server for Ashford Prime at 8:00 AM tomorrow.
Every civilized planet encountering Omnirealm for the first time only had one chance for new server protection.
If he only got the connection stone next month, he would be a month behind everyone else.
How the hell was he supposed to realize his daydream of becoming a CEO in the game, marrying a rich beauty, and reaching the pinnacle of life?
"Sir, actually, although the Arcane Grade connection stones are expensive, they are worth the price. You also get a lucky draw chance upon entering the game."
"Are you sure you won't consider it?"
"No... no need, thank you..."
Seth looked longingly at the Arcane Grade connection stones inside the counter, which were as dazzling as crystals.
The connection stones of Omnirealm could merge into a person's brain after a drop of blood was applied, achieving a unique lifelong binding.
Connection stones were divided into four grades: Celestial, Prime, Arcane, and Common.
Common Grade was the lowest and most common; out of 10,000 people, 9,999 used Common Grade connection stones.
It was rumored that owners of Arcane Grade stones and above had a lucky draw chance when first entering Omnirealm. If they drew something good, they could get quite a head start.
As for the even more precious Prime and Celestial Grades, they were absolute limited editions and extremely rare.
Rumor had it that these collector's edition connection stones were hidden within Arcane Grade stones, and it all depended on one's personal luck.
However, the prerequisite for having that slim chance to trigger one's luck was having the huge sum of 200,000 Universal Credits.
No one had ever publicly disclosed what owners of Celestial and Prime Grade connection stones could obtain upon entering the game, but it was bound to be extraordinary.
Stepping outside, Seth pulled out his last low-quality cigarette and lit it. He watched the long queues of handsome men and beautiful women outside, all waiting to buy Arcane Grade connection stones.
"Damn it!"
"How are there so many people in this world who are more handsome and richer than me? It's like seeing a ghost."
Just then, the repeated message that had dominated the giant screens on the pedestrian street for three days appeared again.
"Lost Dog Notice!"
"A purebred Ashford Hound has been missing for 3 days. It weighs 12 kilograms, has golden fur and a white tail, and wears a white jade pendant around its neck."
"Anyone who can help find the beloved pet will be rewarded with one million Universal Credits. Contact Number: xxx xxx"
The person posting the lost dog notice was clearly either very rich or of high status.
A reward of one million was something an ordinary person couldn't earn in ten years.
Although the massive reward was attractive, no one had found it in these three days.
"Damn, humans aren't even as good as dogs!"
"A dog goes missing, and someone spends a million to find it. If I went missing one day, I bet not a single person in the world would care about me."
Seth laughed self-deprecatingly. Combined with failing to get a free connection stone, his heart felt stifled.
By the time he walked back to his shabby rented room ten kilometers away, his phone rang with a text message from his fat landlady.
"Seth McField, you son of a bitch!"
"Half a month has passed and you still haven't paid the rent. I'm giving you until 12:00 tomorrow to bring the overdue rent and interest."
"Otherwise, either pack your bags and get out, or submit to me."
Seeing this message, a chill ran through Seth's entire body.
The fat landlady was a widow in her late 40s with a terrifying weight of 150 kilograms, the kind who was so fat you couldn't even see her neck.
Although Seth was penniless, he was young and strong, and his features were somewhat handsome...though of course, compared to the readers, he was still far behind.
This had led the fat landlady to constantly eye him in the past, but Seth would rather die than submit, remaining steadfast and unyielding.
Damn it!
He'd rather be pressed by a ghost than by her; otherwise, he'd have nightmares for the rest of his life.
After deleting the text and thinking about his failed life, he felt extremely irritable. Seth went downstairs to the small shop and used his last 4 Universal Credits to buy a bottle of low-quality white liquor and a cup of instant noodles.
Back in the rented room, he paired the liquor with the noodles.
He was only halfway through when he collapsed drunk on the bed.
After an unknown amount of time, in his blurry state, Seth vaguely heard a faint barking sound.
When he woke up, he found it was already 3:00 AM.
He had indeed drunk too much this time.
Listening again, there really seemed to be a dog barking.
Thinking of the lost dog notice, Seth decided to try his luck and immediately went downstairs.
At this hour, it was eerily quiet outside.
Following the sound, Seth eventually arrived at a stinking ditch behind a pile of trash.
The barking became even more distinct now.
A cold wind blew, making Seth shiver and clearing much of his drunken stupor.
Ignoring the filth, he struggled to pry open the manhole cover over the ditch, held his breath, pulled out his phone with its cracked screen, and turned on the light to shine it down.
Down in the ditch, a dirty golden-furred dog was huddled in a corner. One of its legs seemed to be stuck in something and was bleeding; even its cries were very weak.
Seth blinked hard, his expression suddenly jolting as he noticed a jade pendant stained with grime around the dog's neck.
Holy crap!?
The wheel of fortune has turned; is my luck finally changing?!
I actually ran into odds no different from winning the lottery jackpot?!
With an excited and nervous heart, Seth hurriedly dialed a number on his phone.
The contact number from the lost dog notice had been broadcasted non-stop for three days; Seth had long since memorized it.
Less than ten minutes later.
Vroom!
A sky-high priced red hovercar descended from the sky.
The car door opened, the headlights cast their glow, and a dazzling beauty stepped out.
The woman was dressed in purple, with exquisite features, snow-white skin, and a cold yet sexy temperament.
Especially her snow-white legs... long, shapely, and full of allure.
"Where is my Aurelius?"
The woman asked very anxiously.
Seth didn't let the woman's beauty lead to unrealistic fantasies; he pointed his hand toward the ditch under the manhole cover.
Following the phone's light and seeing her beloved dog trapped below after being missing for three days, the woman, in her urgency, jumped down through the manhole.
In less than 5 seconds, this exquisite and noble-looking woman, surprisingly unafraid of the filth, leapt out from the two-meter-deep manhole while holding the injured golden-furred dog.
Damn!
To be able to jump out from that height in one go, this woman must know martial arts, right?
Seth was shocked.
The woman's heart ached for her pet. Seeing it was injured, she placed it in the hovercar, intending to take it to a vet immediately.
Seth got anxious on the spot: "Beautiful lady, you're just leaving like this? What about my reward?"
Worried about her dog, the woman replied without looking back, "I left in too much of a hurry and don't have money or my phone on me, but don't worry, I, Vivienne Starling, won't shortchange you a single cent."
"Give me an account number, and I'll transfer it to you as soon as I get back."
Seth shook his head immediately, worried about being stiffed: "No way. You either give me the money now, or take me to your house to get it."
He was penniless now and had no job; whether he could get the million-credit reward was crucial.
Seth wasn't going to foolishly believe her just because she was a beauty.
Over the years, he had been a victim many times because of the word 'trust.'
"Take you to my house?"
Vivienne raised her beautiful eyebrows, a look of disdain on her face: "No."
Damn it!
I helped you find your dog, you haven't given me a cent of the reward, and you're still looking down on me? Seth was fuming inside.
He immediately said with a firm attitude: "If you won't give me the money and won't take me with you, then leave the dog behind."
"You?"
Vivienne was furious; no one had ever dared to speak to her like this, let alone doubt her promise for a mere million.
After hesitating for a moment, Vivienne pulled an exquisite box from the hovercar and tossed it to Seth.
"Fine, keep this as collateral for now. Someone will bring the money to redeem it from you shortly."
Having said that, without giving Seth time to react, she closed the car door, kicked up a gust of wind, and drove off into the sky.
"Hey, what the hell is this? Don't trick me!"
"I've memorized your name!"
Seth shouted.